By Tippi Rasp
KINGFISHER — School administrators are anticipating completion of a $5.5 million middle school in about a month.
Workers are putting the finishing touches on the new Kingfisher Middle School and plans include moving equipment in when school this year is out.
“We’ll start making the transition by the beginning of summer,” said Superintendent Max Thomas. “We’re getting really close.”
Workers are painting the interior and doing tile work in the classrooms of the 60,000 square foot state-of-the-art building which includes a storm shelter in the band and vocal music area. Thomas calls the facility “extremely modern.”
Voters approved a $7.4 million bond issue in December of 2003 to complete construction and for technology upgrades. Thomas said each first- through fourth-grade classroom has SMART Board technology. SMART Boards are large interactive boards which function as a personal computer and are large enough for everyone to see and easy enough for small hands to navigate. Users can press the board’s touch-sensitive surface to access and control any computer application.
A $825,000 grant gave the district the ability to install Geothermal technology by using more than 100 wells on the property.
The new facility will educate 400-500 students at a time, and include a walking track complex being developed through local revenue and grants. Bonds will be available in 2016 for a performing arts center/auditorium, according to Kingfisher Public Schools Web site.
Thomas said school patrons and faculty have had input into the blueprint of the facility.
“It was designed for students,” Thomas said.
Thomas said teacher, administrators, custodians, child nutrition workers and everyone working for the district has had the opportunity for input into the design. Thomas said the view on the north, from the cafeteria and commons area, is “unique.”
The measure approved by voters in December 2003 originally failed by 12 votes about seven months before. But that December, Kingfisher voters approved the $7.41 million bond issue to construct a new middle school by a vote of 901-370.
Thomas was elated at the vote.
“The children are the victors on this,” he said after the election. “We’re excited and appreciative of the support for the school.”
The winning percentage was 70.89 percent in favor and 29.11 percent against. To pass, the school bond proposal needed at least a 60 percent majority of the vote.
The proposal, a series of six general obligation bonds, was passed as one question.
A new high school was built in 1994.
